An Unexpected Bliss
by Lyra Silvertongue1
Summary: Alanna been arranged to marry Jonathan! But she's not his squire, nor did she go to the convent. She's a princess, and she and Jonathan have never seen eachother before in their lives... Will true love blossom? Or will things go terribly wrong...?
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: **None of this stuff is mine, except for the plot…

 Hello everyone!! 

I totally love the couple A/J though I do agree they would never have made it married, so I decided since Alanna goes on about that stuff about Thayet being brought up in Royalty and so on, so she would be good for Jon, what would happen if Alanna was brought up in royalty? 

 Be warned though, Alanna does not come to the palace for a visit, fall in love and live happily ever after…

 Ok, so enough of my babble, and just read on…and review…

**An Unexpected Bliss**

** Proposal**

Slipping softly out of his bed, the young man stood silently by his window, enjoying the soft caress of the cool breeze on his bare skin. Shivering suddenly, he rubbed his hands over his shoulders, warming the cold skin.

 Rummaging through his clothes chest, he retrieved a pale blue shirt and soft black breeches and began to dress, not bothering with a tunic.

 The slender form on his bed stirred, catching his attention for a moment. Fully dressed, the young man watched the sleeping figure, beautiful even while asleep. She was curled gracefully under his sheets, brown locks spilling over his pillow like warm chocolate.

 The sound of clip clopping of hooves on the well-worn path drew his gaze back out of the window. He brushed the rich velvet drapes out of the way with long fingers, wondering who could be arriving at _this_ time of morning.

 There were not many people about at this time, other than a few sleepy guards, milling about wearily after night-duty. Two particularly burly guards, the gate-watchman, began to pull open the black entrance gates. They pulled back slowly, grinding across stones and gravel. The young man watched on curiously, black brows furrowed. Surely his parents would have made it known to him, had there been important guests arriving.  

 Taking one last glance towards his still dreaming lover, he left the room, hurrying down recently washed stone steps, through the corridors and outside.

 The morning air was crisp and sharp, hitting him the face as soon as he stepped out. The young man inhaled deeply, feeling the clean, fresh air fill his lungs. 

 When he arrived at the main gate, he was met by a small gathering of important nobles, two of them being his parents.

"Jonathan, dear, you've arrived." His mother greeted him with a warm smile.

 He smiled back before asking, "Yes, but what have I arrived to?"

 His mother looked surprised. "Didn't I tell you?"

 "Tell me what?"

 Lianne opened her mouth to answer him, but was interrupted by the arrival of a troupe of horses, five in all. Three of the horses had the colours of the royal family of Lower Tortall, while the other two were dressed in the colours of their royal guardsmen.  

 The two guardsmen dismounted and stood by their king, waiting for him too, to dismount. Behind them came both Prince and Princess, neither of them eager to leave their horses. His mother had stepped forward along with his father to greet the other King, and he supposed it was up to him to make formalities with the two children, not that they were children really, just a few years younger than him in fact.

 He went forward reluctantly, though he had not met the Princess, the Prince he had encountered and he disliked him totally. The man was a stuck-up, self-righteous bastard. Well, maybe that was going a _bit_ too far, he _was_ good at what he did, and maybe he had a right- no, scrap that, he didn't have a right to be self-centred just because he was a great sorcerer. 

 Jonathan realised that while he'd been off in the clouds the twins - or so he had been told - were waiting expectantly for greetings and a welcome. The blue-eyed Prince blushed and stepped forward to welcome them.

  "Welcome Prince Thom," he bowed towards the younger boy, "Princess," and raised the girls hand to his lips. "I welcome you to our palace and hope that you can make yourself at home while you are here."

 Thom smiled, or was that a smirk? "Delighted, I'm sure."

The princess – what was her name again? – curtsied, but did not smile, nor show any sign of friendliness. It was Jonathan's first meeting with her, and he assumed he would have to make at least an acquaintance with her, as she would be queen of some other kingdom one day. 

  The princess had wavy copper hair, same colour as her brothers. She was not wearing much face-paint, or maybe even none, but he supposed that was due to the long ride as all the court ladies he knew were very partial to face paint. She had a tinge of red on her cheeks for he long ride, making her look healthy. But what caught him most were her eyes, bright purple, and though they were the same colour as her brothers, they showed a liveliness and vivacity that he had never noticed in her brother. All in all, he concluded that though she was not beautiful as some of the court ladies, she was striking, incredibly arresting. 

  But still, her personality couldn't be that great. No, he had heard that her brother did not care for many people in this world, not even his father, but she, well he had been told that Thom cared for her more than anyone else. _'Well, that would be it,'_ he thought, _'two of a kind.'_

He noticed that the two were conversing between themselves animatedly; about what he couldn't really care less. His parent's had left with King Alan, no doubt to talk about what had brought them here. Whatever it was, he hoped they wouldn't stay long. He fidgeted, not really wanting to be rude and interrupt, but standing here getting bored out of his mind wasn't really an option either.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

 Both twins looked at him, and he felt eerily as if their bright purple eyes were pushing him into a deep hole in the ground. '_So much for becoming acquaintances.'_

"Well, would you like me to show you around the palace? Or would you like to be shown to your rooms?"

 Alanna's eyes brightened at the thought of exploring the palace, but before she could say anything Thom spoke for both of them.

 "I think we'd like to be shown to our rooms," he decided archly. 

 '_Conceited, arrogant, pompous, pretentious-' _"Oh. I mean, yes of course. Would you like to wait here for someone to get you, or would you like to come inside?" Jonathan smiled, trying to put in as much sincerity as he could muster. 

This time Alanna got in first. "We'll stay outside."

"Of course, well, I hope you enjoy your visit." _'As long as you stay the hell away from me!' _Jonathan was out of there faster than his legs could carry him. He pondered over returning to his room; maybe Delia was still there… _'Damn! The twins… got to send someone over…' _He stalked of through the hallways with their brass ornaments and polished gold picture frames, not noticing a single one because he was formulating a plan on how to avoid the twins, mainly Thom, at all costs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So…" Thom glanced at Alanna, "what do you think of his _highness_?"

"The Prince?"

Thom rolled his eyes. "No you _fool_, the _Queen_. Of course the Prince!"

Alanna glared at her sometimes, incredibly irritating brother. 

"Don't '_you fool_' me! Remember, dear brother, that I can beat you in a swordfight any day!  Imagine the embarrassment, if I challenged you publicly, and you lost! Won't your charming little friends laugh, when they see-"

"Okay, okay! I get it!" snapped Thom, knowing very word Alanna was saying, was true, and what's more, if he annoyed her enough she would probably carry through with the threat.

"The prince… well, I don't really know him…" Alanna said slowly, "but after what you said… he must really be horrible, if you hate him so much."

 Thom nodded, glad his sister agreed with him. "Now I just wonder how long he'll take to send someone over…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Queen Lianne brought her fine china teacup to her rosy lips, looking the perfect picture of a King's wife. And she _was_ the perfect wife to the King in many ways; she was a fine figure of a woman, respectable and beautiful. She was interested in all that a woman should be, good at doing all a woman should be good at, she had bore Roald a fine son, brought him up well to be responsible; Roald had no worries when it came to passing down his crown. And most of all, she gave him love, something to keep him going, something for him to look forward to, to come back to after a long day. 

 Now she may have forgotten this for a moment, or maybe it was her eagerness to get her son married and settled that prompted her to encourage her husband to accept King Alan's offer, but all she thought at the time was it was an excellent plan for her son.

 "I am proposing a union between your son and my daughter."  King Alan looked expectantly at the other King, waiting for a response, or an opinion.

 Roald furrowed his brow in thought. He wasn't overly sure that this was the right thing to do. Jonathan barely even knew the girl! In fact he was sure this was the first time they had met. His wife seemed eager to accept, but she was always looking to get Jonathan settled down and married. Jonathan, on the other hand, didn't want to get married; he knew that much from talking to his son, or more, from Jonathan complaining about having to settle down quickly just because he was the Prince. 

'_But then, maybe the girl would be good for him, possibly she-' _His train of thought was interrupted when Alan spoke again.

 "This marriage, of course, will assure peace between our nations."  King Alan smiled inwardly, knowing this would clinch the deal for him. Alanna, well, Alanna would learn to be happy with the life she was given.

 King Roald smoothed down a crease on his silk shirtsleeve. "Yes, I suppose it would." He paused for a moment and continued. "Yes, we will accept, Jonathan will marry your daughter."

 Alan stood up with a satisfied smile on his face. "Excellent, I'll leave it up to you to make plans as you wish. I shall have to be off, I must return home as soon as possible."

 Lianne stood up and showed him to the door, where a servant took over. She turned to see her husband hunched over with a troubled expression on his face. 

 "It was the right decision, and a good one for both our nations. Jonathan will be happy with her, she is very sweet, very petite girl." She felt the need to reassure her husband.

 King Roald sighed and leaned back on the comfortable red leather chair. He looked up and smiled tiredly at his wife.

 "Yes, yes, I suppose your right," he conceded. "Now all we have to do is tell him…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that you've read it, (and hopefully liked it…) plz review!

                                                                                     ~ Lyra ~


	2. Chapter Two

*This is a re-edited version *

Hi everyone. Finally got the second chapter up, so there you go, Tiffany. To anyone who was confused about Alanna being royalty, well, I don't really know the answer to that either. Let's just say she is, and leave it at that. Laira of Masbolle (anonymous) – Delia was being seen through Jonathan's point of view, and since he was practically infatuated with her in the TP books, (though I don't know how…) I added a bit of that in here. Raven (anonymous) – In my little fic world, Jonathan isn't dead, even if Alanna is royalty. I could never kill Jonathan…(or could I?)   Read on… Chapter 2 

Empty.

 That's all he was feeling now. There had been rage, anger; he had shouted a bit, when he'd found out, used a few words he wouldn't normally use in his mother's presence. But he knew, all the while, it wouldn't change anything. 

 Jonathan was going to have to marry the Princess of Lower Tortall. 

 Now he had used up all his anger, and there was just a funny empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. Jonathan had first pondered over telling his friends about it, or his cousin, Gary. But they wouldn't understand. They didn't understand what it was like to carry the burden he had; they didn't know the responsibility he had been born with.

 Oh, sure, it was fun sometimes, with all the power, and the money, and the girls. But that wasn't all. Jonathan had known that one day it might come to this, an arranged marriage, for the good of the kingdom, the bloody kingdom. 

 Jonathan couldn't help but wonder why they wanted this so early. He was still only twenty-one, still young, and still able to find a suitable wife for himself. Why were they so eager to get him married off?

 That was why he was here, standing at the top of Balor's needle, just thinking. It was a private place he liked to come to, just to be alone. He ran a finger across the even grey stone, enjoying the touch of cool wind, and watching as the last rays of sunlight peered over the horizon, setting a fiery red glow on the castle walls. 

 Jonathan gazed over the edge, the smooth walls plunging down vertically to the ground. He wondered momentarily what it would feel like to fall down that distance, to hit the dirt at that speed. The young Prince leaned over as far over the ledge as it was possible without loosing his balance, feeling the wind blow his dark hair into his face. He shut his eyes and inhaled deeply, the crisp air feeling fresh and clean in his lungs.

 Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, even if he didn't love her. He could make it work; it wasn't impossible. But Jonathan knew he wouldn't be happy, not like that. He wanted what his parents had, he could see how deeply in love they were. Why couldn't they give him that chance?

 He wondered if Alanna's parents had told her yet. '_Probably not' _he thought contemptuously. Jonathan didn't hold much respect for the King of Lower Tortall. He was a cold and uncaring man at times, caring more for his work than his family, much like his son Thom could be. 

 Jonathan's clear blue eyes swept over the grassy landscape, spotting a small figure on a golden horse galloping into the woods, becoming smaller and smaller. Soon he would be just a black speck in the distance. 

 The Prince squinted his eyes, trying to focus more clearly on the rider. There was something decidedly familiar about the rider's stance and size. Could it possibly be Thom? And why would he be riding out on his own at this time?

 But the horse… Thom's horse was a plain tawny brown colour, boring, Jonathan had thought, as Thom was. But this horse was beautiful, gold with a shining silver-white mane flying out behind her. There was only one such horse he had seen around these parts recently that looked like that. 

 There was no questioning it. That horse was Alanna's, and the rider had to be the girl herself. 

 Explanations and reasons for her strange behaviour began to run through his head immediately. Maybe she had decided to go on an evening ride… Maybe she was visiting a friend out here… Hell, maybe she was just plain strange!

 But there was one explanation that was nagging away, and to Jonathan, seeing the heavy luggage that was tied on to the horse, it certainly seemed the most plausible. 

 Alanna had found out about the arrangement, and was running away.

 Jonathan wondered if this should offend him, he certainly _felt_ mildly offended. But this wasn't the time to think about that. If she was running away, he would have to go after her. If he didn't, and if something happened to her, his family could be blamed causing a war between the two nations.

 As Jonathan leapt down the rickety old steps two at a time, he wondered if Alanna was extremely stubborn, or just extremely stupid. Why didn't she accept it? Why couldn't she accept it? _He_ had. He had to.

 Jonathan's favourite hostler, Stefan, looked up in surprise as Jonathan dashed into the stables at high speed, calling for Stefan to quickly saddle his horse. Stefan obeyed, not asking questions, because he knew if the Prince wanted to tell he would, and in this case, he seemed to be in too much of a hurry to say anything. 

 Darkness was saddled and ready within minutes, neighing impatiently, and kicking his hooves on the stable door, eager to get out for some exercise. Jonathan leapt on to the saddle, quickly thanking Stefan as he let open the latch on the stable door, before galloping out after the small red head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Alanna gently stroked the soft, golden hair along Moonlight's neck, listening to the rhythmic beating of her horse's hooves along the grass floor. It was strangely calming, and Alanna felt her anger at her father, and at the world in general, ebbing away slowly.

 She felt it might have been slightly rash to leave the palace on her own, knowing full well the sort of dangers that lurked in the forest around this time. Feeling slightly paranoid, Alanna used one hand to pull her hood up around her flaming hair; it was very recognisable, and as a princess she could easily be kidnapped and held for ransom for quite a bit of money. 

 She let Moonlight drop her gallop into a slow trot, allowing the mare some rest. The poor horse must have been very worn out, first riding all the way from her palace to this one, and now, Alanna was riding her back again, only a few days later. 

 Alanna glanced around, wondering how long it had been since she had left the palace. The light that had been earlier filtering brightly through the trees had dimmed, and she felt the forest become eerily silent. 

 She began to feel a strange chill of foreboding, shivering slightly although it was not cold. Alanna always followed her instincts, and her instincts told her something was wrong. 'Of course,' Alanna thought, 'it could just be my mind playing tricks on me.'

 Alanna heard a rustling of leaves, and her head snapped to the left, searching the thick camouflage for a moving creature, human or otherwise. Her hand crept toward the dagger strapped to her leg, lifting it up; it glinted sharply in the weak light. 

 The shuffling was getting closer, and Alanna prepared herself for whatever might come through the curtain of leaves. 

 The head of a black horse poked through the bushes, and Alanna pulled back her arm taking aim, only to see the last person she expected riding atop the black horse.

 Jonathan, who had a very stricken look on his face, seeing the dagger and thinking she might just be angry enough to throw it at him. 

 Alanna dropped her arm, breathing a sigh of relief, though she still couldn't shake the feeling that something still wasn't right.

  "For a moment there, I was sure you were going to-" Jonathan started.

Alanna saw the sword descend from the trees a second too late. Her eyes flew open in shock, and she opened her mouth to scream a warning. Jonathan's expression went from utter confusion to horror, twisting around in his saddle at the last moment, causing the attacker to miss his target, drawing a gash down Jonathan's sword arm.

 Alanna wondered if she'd ever seen that much blood in her life; the Prince's shirtsleeve was soaked crimson in a matter of seconds, and more of the glistening red liquid was flowing down his fingertips, dripping on to the ground below. 

 Jonathan fumbled with his sword in his left arm, the only arm which was able to be used. He made a few clumsy stabs into the tree, but seemed to be weakening too quickly from loss of blood to do anything substantial.  

 Alanna's hand was gripped tightly around the small silver dagger in her hand. It was her only weapon, and she had to get this one throw right on target. If the Prince died here, she knew it would be her fault. It hadn't been coincidence that he was in the same place at the same time; he had come after her. 

 Alanna closed her eyes concentrating, and let the dagger fly towards her target. Alanna was certain the scream of pain that came next would've been audible from miles around, and she knew that the would-be assassin would be dead before he even hit the ground.

 The body fell to the floor with a loud crunch, but Alanna stayed on her mount for a few more seconds, making doubly sure there were no more killers lurking around. When she was certain there wasn't, she leapt of the saddle, and knelt on the ground by the body. 

 Examining it, she couldn't see anything too unusual about it, other then a strange insignia printed on the tunic, and on the handle of the sword. It was a picture of a snake, coiled around a stick of some sort. She couldn't make out what sort of stick it was because the area was stained with blood. 

 Alanna heard a soft moan of pain and whipped her head around, seeing Jonathan slouched over on his horse, desperately trying to keep silent, though she could imagine how much that wound would be hurting.

 Alanna realised her folly as soon as she saw him. Jonathan was at the moment more important that finding out who had sent the assassin, if he died because of her selfishness, which had very nearly happened, she would never forgive herself. 

 Thinking quickly, Alanna helped Jonathan off his horse, and on to her own, assuming that Jonathan's horse knew the way back to the palace.  She tore wide strips from her petticoats, wrapping them firmly around the Jonathan's heavily bleeding wound. Then she too, jumped into the saddle, holding her arms around the Prince's weakening body, and pushing Moonlight into a full gallop towards the royal palace.

 By the time Alanna got to the palace, Jonathan had fainted, slumping forward on the saddle. That worked for Alanna, seeing as it was incredibly awkward having her arms wrapped around him like that, even if he was incoherent and in too much pain to care.

 "Please! Someone help! He's bleeding!"

Alanna called out desperately for help. She had no idea what to do when someone was hurt, other than bandaging the wound. She had already done that, but it wasn't helping. The bandages were red and heavy, and she wondered just how much blood they had soaked in. She placed a finger gingerly on the outside of the bandage, to check out bad it was, wincing when it came away smeared with red. 

 A cluster of palace guards came rushing towards them, one of them barking orders to the rest. Alanna knew what a terrible sight they made. Jonathan, with his clothes soaked with crimson, and herself, half splattered in his blood. 

 The guards rushed in, taking over, pulling Jonathan's limp form off the horse and towards the palace infirmary. Alanna followed wearily, after convincing a few persistent guards that no, she wasn't hurt, and no, she _didn't_ try to axe the Prince.

 When she got to the palace healers, she was met by more questions, and after she had finally answers to their satisfaction, she was shooed away. Apparently she would give the Prince a heart attack if he woke up and saw her like that. All she wanted to do was see if he was all right. So much for that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 The first thing Jonathan saw when he came to was the fuzzy face of Duke Baird. Blinking his eyes to help everything clear into focus, Jonathan pulled himself into a sitting position, wondering why he was here.

 The chief palace healer held a hand on to Jonathan's forehead, testing to see if he had a normal body temperature. The action irritated Jonathan, as he felt he was perfectly fine, and didn't need someone fussing over him like a mother hen. However, he chose to remain silent and let the healer get on with his work. 

 The throbbing pain in his right arm brought all the past events rushing back, and he wondered where Alanna had disappeared. She had saved his life after all, although, if she hadn't been there, he would never have had to risk it in the first place.

 "Where did- where did Alanna go?"

Jonathan cringed in disgust at the sound of his voice. Was he really that weak? One knife wound and he had fainted like a baby. 

 "Don't worry, your Highness. You've lost a lot of blood. You're lucky to be alive. Don't think yourself weak because you fainted."

 Jonathan wondered how the healer had known exactly what he was thinking. Perhaps he had seen his expression, or perhaps he was just very perceptive.

 "And as to the Princess," the Duke continued as he bustled around, putting away this and that, "she was sent away to clean herself up."

 "Why, what happened?"

 "Poor girl," the Duke said kindly, "she was half drowned in your blood."

 "My blood?" Jonathan hung his head in his hands. Why did stuff like this always happen to him? He was supposed to marry this girl, and he goes and splatters his blood all over her.

 Jonathan started to push himself out of the bed. He had to go and talk to her. At least to thank her. As soon as he had put two feet on the ground, his vision began to swim and he staggered forward. Two gently hands guided his body back onto the bed. 

 "Jonathan, you're still weak, don't try anything rash."

 "But I have to talk to her, she saved my life!" he protested.

"Well then," the chief healer suppressed a chuckle. "Go on ahead, she's right here."

 "She's what?" Jonathan gaped in surprise, and embarrassment, though he immediately covered up with a curt 'hello.'

 Duke Baird smiled, and left the room, allowing the two some privacy. 

 "Er…hello." Alanna replied, feeling horribly awkward, and wishing she hadn't gone against her better judgement and decided to come back.

 "So…" she paused, searching for something interesting to say. "How are you?"

 Well, that was great, she told herself, great question. He'd only been almost killed by some psychopathic assassin in a tree; of course he'd be just fine.

"Fine." Jonathan suppressed the urge to say something sarcastic. "I'm fine."

 "This is stupid." Alanna burst out suddenly, after a few moments of silence.  

 "What is stupid?" Jonathan looked up at her blankly.

 "This!" Alanna gestured wildly at the space between them. "Beating around the bush like this."

 "Oh," was all he could say.

 "Look," Alanna turned her back and stared into the medicine cabinet, examining the various labels. "The man that tried to kill you today, he had an insignia on his tunic, and on his sword. It wasn't anything I've seen before, and" she continued hastily, seeing Jonathan open his mouth to interrupt. 

 "I know, I don't live here, but my father made me study about this land thoroughly before we came." A wry smile crossed her face. "Now we know why I suppose. But that's not the point. The point is," Here she took out a piece of paper with a rough sketch on it, and held it out to him. "This was it, a snake coiled around a stick, although it was blurry and I couldn't tell exactly. Do you recognise it?"

 Jonathan shook his head, looking blank once more. "No, not even from somewhere foreign."

 "Exactly," Alanna took to pacing around the room, as if to get her thoughts in order. "What I'm saying is," she whirled around to face him once more, "what I'm saying is, someone from a special gang, a specially formed group, is out to kill you, is out to kill _us_."

 To tell the truth, I really didn't like the beginning of this chapter at all. 

 By the way, is Duke Baird married to the Queen or King's sister? Or is he just called a Duke for the fun of it? 

 And I welcome suggestions, and constructive criticism. Anything to make this fic better.

I really should be doing my maths…  ~ Lyra 


	3. Chapter Three

 Okay, I realise how slow I've been about this, but I've been quite busy recently, with being sick, and school, and ff.net was being annoying…

** But apologies for the time taken in getting this up…**

****

****

****

An Unexpected Bliss 

**Chapter Three**

"Exactly," Alanna took to pacing around the room, as if to get her thoughts in order. "What I'm saying is," she whirled around to face him once more, "what I'm saying is, someone from a special gang, a specially formed group, is out to kill you, is out to kill _us_."

 Jonathan stared at her for a moment, and blinked.

 "What?"

Alanna looked exasperated, and repeated her words to him slowly, as if she was talking to someone with a very low intelligence level.

 Jonathan sat there for few minutes, pondering over her words, deciding on a suitable reply, so as not to insult her. Finally he came up with, "Aren't we jumping to conclusions just a little bit?"

 "No." Stubbornly.

 "Well, I agree someone tried to kill us, but a whole bunch of people, plotting…and you, you just got here…how would they possibly…" Jonathan trailed off, seeing the look on Alanna's face. "It could be possible, I suppose…" he finished uncertainly, not at all sure how to treat this woman he barely knew, a woman who was really not more than a girl.

 "Are you saying you think my idea's silly?" Alanna was standing with her hands on her hips, giving him a look that dared him to disagree.

 Jonathan chose his words carefully, or he _thought_ he was choosing his words carefully. 

 "Look, I just don't think you should worry about this, seeing as your-"

 "Seeing as I'm a woman? Is that it?" Alanna narrowed her eyes. This was the man she was going to marry, and it turned out he was one and the same as all the others. Thinking men were the superior race, that woman were creatures kept only to look beautiful and proper. Ornaments to add to their wealth like a fine diamond ring or an antique sword. 

 "No…" Jonathan backtracked hastily, "that's not what I was going to say…"

 "But it's what you were thinking!"

 "Actually no," Jonathan corrected her coolly, "that's not what I was thinking, but if you'd like to see it that way, be my guest."

 Alanna threw him one contemptuous glance before stalking out. Jonathan distinctly heard her mutter something like 'You're all the same,' before she left the room, slamming the door to make her point.

 Jonathan opened his mouth to mutter a few choice words of his own. The girl was impossible! The door crept open again and Jonathan looked up almost wearily, thinking Alanna was back to shout at him a bit more, but sighed in relief when he saw Delia's head peek into the room.

 Delia walked in, everything about her looking dainty and beautiful. She was dressed gorgeously as always, wearing a pale blue gown, made of a light material that swayed elegantly as she walked. She threw a confused glance back outside the door, into the corridor, and turned her face back to Jonathan. 

 "Who was she?"

Jonathan shook his head, "It was- it was nobody." He felt a tinge of guilt race through him as she took the seat beside his bed, fanning out her skirts and leaning forward so she could speak to him. Maybe he should've told her…

 "What happened Jonathan?"

 The concern in her voice made him look away. 

 "I was attacked, that's all."

 "Attacked? Where? Are you alright?" she gushed, leaning over to examine the freshly wrapped bandages.

 "Yes" Jonathan replied, smiling up at her, "I'm fine."

 "Are you sure?" 

 Jonathan forced himself to sit up, the effort obviously a strain on his muscles, but he bit the inside of his mouth and bore it, just to prove he was fine. Delia shook her head, amused at his attempt to impress her. 

 "So you are," she said, pretending to be convinced. She stood up suddenly, and bent over so that her face was hovering just centimetres away from Jonathan's. "I was just wondering…" she started, breath fanning gently on his face.

 "Wondering what?" Jonathan whispered, blue eyes never leaving green, leaning forward almost hungrily.  

 "Whether I should do this…" her words trailed off, leaning forward ever more until her lip finally met his. Jonathan pulled her closer, one arm snaking around her waist, almost pulling her off balance. Delia's hand cupped his cheek for a second, and then pulled away, straightening up, and pressing down her skirts. 

 "I have to go." She said suddenly, making a move to leave.

 "Where?" Jonathan asked, disappointment written all over his face.

 "Wouldn't you like to know?" She replied, smiling secretively and brushing her thumb over his lips. The beautiful woman turned and left, hips sashaying gently from side to side as she walked. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Alanna fumed, dragging her comb through her red hair with more force than was necessary. She couldn't believe the way he had reacted, even after she had gone to the trouble of going to see him. 

 And to make things worse, she had been placed in a room right next to him. Seeing him was bad enough, but having to live next door to him! There was even an adjoining door to the his room. She had tested it, but it was locked. As if she might be tempted to visit before they were married! Jonathan wasn't as irresistible as he looked. In fact, he was the most resistible man she had ever met! He was arrogant, and he thought he was good just because he was a male. She sighed; she would miss this room once they were married.

 The comb snagged on a knot, causing Alanna to yelp in pain. Alanna set the comb down, using her fingers to undo the tangle. She felt alone, and scared. Where was Thom when she needed him? Why did her father choose to leave her here all alone? She brushed her hair down straight once again, pleased to find there were no more tangles. She stared into the looking glass critically, her eyes immediately catching on all the things that were wrong with her face. Her hair was too red, her lips; funny shaped, and her cheeks were too flat. The person looking back at her was not a woman, much less a princess ready to be married. That person was a girl, thrown into a world where she didn't belong.

 Alanna shook her head, clearing her mind of those miserable thoughts. It didn't matter whether she didn't belong now, because her job was to make herself belong. To make herself the queen everyone wanted. And at least if she wasn't a queen inside her mind, she could look like one on the outside.

 She took up her face powder, brushing it over her face to make it look even, the dark kohl pencil, drawn over her eyes, to make them look large and mysterious. Alanna took special care with that; the only part of her face she liked was her eyes, because they were purple and she fancied them intriguing. People didn't easily forget eyes like hers. 

 Alanna stood up, satisfied with her appearance. It occurred to her suddenly, that though she was all prettied up, she had nowhere to go. She sat back down. Where could she go? Maybe she could find out what the other ladies did all day. It would be nice to have some acquaintances, or possible even friends among the woman at court. If she was going to be queen, she supposed it would help not to have the courtiers talking about her every time she turned her back. She stood up again, straightening out her skirts, wanting to look presentable to anyone she might come across. 

 The door protested at the effort of opening, groaning and refusing to budge once it had opened up a space of forty centimetres for her to squeeze through. Why hadn't she noticed when she came in? 'Oh that's right,' she thought to herself sardonically, 'I was in a mindless rage.' 

 Luckily she was small; otherwise she feared she might've got stuck. When she had pulled herself out, she found a reason to be even gladder she hadn't gotten stuck. Outside his room, Jonathan was conversing with a man who seemed a few years older than he; arm still slung up in a bandage. She fought the urge to bolt back into her room and slam the door. But then, she realised with a wry smile, she couldn't. Her door had decided that for her already.  

 "Alanna," the Prince called, beckoning her forward with a glance. So he had seen her. Alanna moved reluctantly forward, wondering what her fiancée wanted. He smiled at her pleasantly when she reached them, any anger born toward her from their earlier meeting seemed forgotten. Alanna waited with growing impatience, as Jonathan continued his conversation with the older man, not seeming to find it important to introduce her. 

 The princess tapped her foot impatiently, her gaze drifted from her prince to the stranger. He was clothed in fine velvet cloak, which, draped over his shoulders elegantly, spoke of importance and high standing. Under that he wore a violet tunic and jade hose. She found a strange curiosity about this man, wanting to find out more about him, and yet at the same time wanting to keep well away. Alanna's eyes travelled up the muscled build to his face, noting the cool blue eyes which listened to Jonathan's words with interest, the handsomely swept brown hair, and the charming smile he directed at her once he realised she was staring. 

 Alanna blushed, dropping her eyes in embarrassment. The other man seemed to find her discomfort amusing, as too did Jonathan. "This is my cousin, Duke Roger of Conte," he introduced, not bothering to hide a smile. Alanna felt her mortification growing, this man was Jonathan's cousin, and she had been caught staring! Even so, she held out her hand to be kissed as was required. 

 The Duke took up her hand, and Alanna felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water down her back. The cold feeling didn't leave until his hand had broken all contact with hers, and even after Alanna felt a slight chill. Unconsciously she brought her hands up, rubbing her arms to warm herself up. Neither man seemed to notice it as strange, both accepting that the cold came from the draughty air inside the castle, the thought never crossing their minds that it came from her own mind. 

 "Roger, this is my betrothed, the Princess Alanna of Lower Tortall." 

 The Duke's gaze reverted back to her, no longer filled with polite courtesy but gleaming with interest. "So this is your betrothed," he murmured, eyes never leaving her face. Alanna wished that he would look away; the hairs on the back of her neck were prickling with unease. Finally he did, eyes turning back to Jonathan, and Alanna breathed a sigh of relief. She wondered what he had been thinking while he was looking at her, whatever it was, she had a feeling it wasn't pleasant.

 Jonathan smiled at his cousin, and patted him on the back as the Duke turned away, bidding them both farewell for the time being. Alanna stared after him, eyes on his muscular back, unable to stop the look of relief that crossed her face once he had disappeared from sight.

 "I suggest you get to know him better." The curt tone came from Jonathan, and she supposed he had noticed the look on her face. "He is one of my best friends, and once we are married you will be spending quite some time with him." 

 Alanna didn't like the chastising tone in his voice, and had the mind to tell him so, but instead she bit her lip and held her tongue. 

 "Now where were you heading, all made up? It's not safe you know, wandering around the palace on your own. My father likes to think everyone is kind and good inside, but they're not, and someone could easily take advantage of you." 

 Alanna hoisted up her skirt pompously. "I think I can quite take care of myself, thankyou!" She spun on her heel with dramatic flare and made a move to walk away. Behind her, she could hear Jonathan swearing to himself, very quietly, but she heard it, and then felt a hand grasp her forearm from behind.

 "Look," he said wearily when she struggled in his grasp, "I have to make sure your safe, so I'll find one of the court ladies to take you around." She nodded and stopped resisting his grip. He dropped her arm and beckoned her to follow him. "_This_way."

 Alanna wondered if he'd act so haughty after a well placed kick to his privates, but restrained, knowing it wouldn't make her any more popular around here. He led her to a small alcove, and from it Alanna could hear female laughter tinkling merrily, and then a rougher, male chuckle. Jonathan held out a hand, barring her path and motioning for her to be quiet. They both stood in silence, listening to the voices coming from inside. There was a brief period of silence, and then more laughter. Jonathan backed away a little, dragging Alanna with him. 

 "Pretend we just arrived," he whispered into her ear. She shot him a confused glance but obeyed, glancing curiously at Jonathan as he crunched loudly up the path. There was a scramble of motion from inside, and Jonathan called out, "Gary? I need to speak to-" he broke of when a young man appeared, looking, Alanna thought, a little older than Jonathan. Behind him appeared a woman, and the source of the female voice. Alanna couldn't help but note jealously that she was astoundingly beautiful. 

 "Cythera," he finished, addressing the young woman, "If you're not too busy, can I trouble you to introduce Alanna to our palace life and the courtiers?"

 "So formal, Jon," Cythera said, smiling wickedly at Jonathan, "One would have thought you would prefer to introduce her to…" she paused, letting the sentence hang, "our…uh… palace life as you say, yourself…" There was more than a bit of suggestive hint in her voice which left Alanna blushing. 

 "Haha," Jonathan said dryly. He nudged Alanna forward with a small push on her back. "This is Alanna, Princess of Lower Tortall."

 Cythera gasped, flushing in embarrassment. "Sorry, my Princess," she apologised as she curtsied. "I didn't realise. I thought you were just one of Jonathan's many-", she stopped suddenly, seeing the look on the Prince's face. "One of his many friends," she finished lamely. 

 Gary bowed politely and kissed Alanna's hand, while looking searchingly at Jonathan. Jonathan evaded his gaze, watching Alanna instead. 

 "Will you take her now?" he said, directing the question at Cythera. 

 "Yes, of course. I'll see you Gary," she said, letting Gary kiss her hand. "And you, your Highness."

 Jonathan inclined his head, and Cythera beckoned Alanna away. Gary stepped up to Jonathan's side, following his gaze to the two ladies and watching until they disappeared from sight. 

 "Is she really…?" He started, turning to his cousin. "Your parents didn't…they wouldn't have…"

 Jonathan nodded grimly. "They did."

 "When are you-"

 "A week, perhaps. Ten days at the most."

 Gary patted his cousin's injured arm soothingly. "She seems nice."

 "Nice. _Seems_ nice." Jonathan collapsed onto the ground, scrubbing his face with his hand. "She's not." He added, as if the earlier statement hadn't got the message through.

 Gary sat on the ground next to him, folding his legs between his arms. He wasn't quite sure what to say, this comforting thing had never been his speciality. Instead he spoke truthfully. "It's not something you can change, so you might as well live with it. One day you'll love her well enough."

 Beside him, Jonathan laughed disbelievingly. Gary held his hand up, motioning for Jonathan to let him finish. "You will. You'll have an heir, and a few more children, and you'll rule together, and grow old together. Doesn't sound too good now, but one day, I'm sure you'll be friends."

 "I hate her," came the muffled reply, "she gets under my skin."

 "You barely know her," Gary interjected reasonably. 

 "I can't believe this." Jonathan said, after a couple of minutes of silence. 

 "You know it's for the good of-"

 Jonathan's head shot immediately out of his hands. "If you dare finish that sentence with 'the kingdom', you won't ever have the chance to speak another."

 "Your future kingdom," Gary finished cheekily. Jonathan groaned. 

 "My future kingdom," he repeated, shaking his head and staring out into the horizon stretching into the far distance over the said kingdom. Gary could see that his mind was elsewhere. "What am I going to do?" the Prince murmured despondently. 

 "What you have to," was the calm, if not a little grim sounding reply.

 "What I have to…" Jonathan repeated softly, as if speaking only to himself, his eyes still gazing out at the distant horizon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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**                                                                                                     ~ Lyra**


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